4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Joshua 8-9
Luke 7:1-30

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Joshua 9:14 (CSB): “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the LORD’s decision.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

As Joshua led the Israelites to claim more and more of the Promised Land, it became obvious to the Canaanites that they were fighting a losing cause. Some of them (the Gibeonites) contrived a plan.

In Joshua 9, we read that the Gibeonites devised a plan to deceive Joshua and his army. They selected some men to visit Joshua. Those men wore old, tattered clothing. They put worn-out sacks on their donkeys and had old wineskins that had been cracked and mended. The purpose was to trick the Israelites into thinking that they had traveled so far to get to Joshua that forming an alliance was no threat to Judah.

When Joshua and the men of Israel saw those men, listened to their story, and tried to determine if it was truthful, they made a decision without seeking the Lord.

Joshua 9:14 (CSB): “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the LORD’s decision.”

As I am rereading the Bible this year, I have noticed that there are quite a few occasions when a decision was made that seemed harmless at the time but ended up causing major trouble later on.

For instance, when God told Abraham to leave his land and his family in Ur, he disobeyed and took his father and his nephew, Lot. His father died shortly thereafter, far from home. And Lot ended up getting sucked into the culture of Sodom. His wife died when she turned to look at the destruction, and his daughters got him drunk and conceived sons by him. None of this would have happened if Abraham had listened to the Lord and left Lot in Ur of the Chaldeans.

In another instance, the Lord had made the Abrahamic Covenant with Abraham. But he listened to his wife, Sarah, and had sex with her servant. Ishmael was born, and his descendants would be a problem for Isaac and his descendants for thousands of years. The disunity between the Arab world and the Jewish state wouldn’t even exist if Abraham had listened to the Lord and waited for the Lord to send the promised child in His timing.

Realize that God loves bringing beauty out of brokenness and redeeming the results of disobedience. Yes, Lot’s daughters sinned by having a child with their dad. But one of those babies, Moab, would be the nation’s patriarch from whom Ruth would come. I can personally attest to how fortunate I have been to have known some Arab people who would not even exist had it not been for the birth of Ishmael.

So, can God cause good things to come from our bad (even sinful) decisions? Of course, he can. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have to live with the consequences of those bad decisions.

How can we make better decisions? Seek the Lord’s decision!”

Joshua 9:14 (CSB): “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the LORD’s decision.”

Pray! Read God’s Word! Seek good counsel!

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to cause you to realize that while you have a free will, that free will is intended to be used to seek to do the Lord’s will.
  • Ask God to help you cultivate biblical principles for making wise, godly decisions.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into biblical decision-making, consider reading the following GotQuestions article and consulting the resource below:

“What are the biblical principles for solid decision-making?”

“What does the Bible say about decision-making?”

An incredible book on this topic that I highly recommend is: “Decision-Making by the Book” by Haddon Robinson.

Sharing

If this post has been helpful to you or if you think it could help others, please consider tapping one of the social media buttons below to share it on your favorite platform.

____________________

Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)